Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-05-27
TENEMENTS IN FLAMES.
SEVENTY FIVE BUILDINGS SWEPT
AWAY IN NEW YORK.
Dreadful Apprehension That Many Peo-
pie Have Perished in the Rag
ing Confagration.

Sixteen Hundred Horses Cremated in the
Belt Line Stables Demonstration Ten
ants Praying, Fighting and Cursine in
Their frenzied Efforts tn Escape an Aw-
full Death-A Loss of One Million Dol
lars In Property.
CHICAGO, May 2T-The following kilograms
were were received here early Friday morn
ing:
NEW YORK, May q, 3 A M-Flamts broke
out at |: 80 a IN in the south end OF the belt
line stables, on Tenth avenue, between Fifty
third and Fifty fourth streets The building
was DESTROYED, with eco horses and nearly
all the cars in the building. Two blocks of
buildings are also in flames The flames were
first seen by one of the night hands, who gave
soon completely euveloped the bnlding in
their folds The building was a five-story
structure, and covered a square block, reach
ing back Ia Eleventh avenue The building
was in flames so quickly that there was no
chance tn save the books of the company.
The upper stories were occupied by the repair
shops, and the combustjbe material blazed rs
soon as touched by the fire The offices were
situated in the southeast corner
At 2 O'clock the walls of the building fell
in sending millions of sparks and blazing
pieces of wood high in the air The call for
the Three-S had been made as soon as
the fire CHIEF arrived at the sceHe, and en-
gineS from all parts of the city. with the
water-tower and the hook and ladder com
panies, were RAPIDLY coming The heat from
the flaming building was 50 great that several
tiremen and two policemen were pros
trated
At A. a m the flames, aided by the strong
high wind which was prevailing. had leaped
across the wide avenue and communicated to
the W hole block on the east side between
Fifty -th ird and Fifty fourth Streets The
block was composed of six story tenement
houses and coal yard
The tprror-Stricken tenants poured out of
the building like swarm of bees, praying,
fighting, and cursing by turns The scene OF
terror was indescrhable The buildings
burned rapidly, though the fronts facing the
avenue were of brownStnne BY $50 they
were completely Quilted. The flame, spread
to the entire square block over to Ninth
avenue.
At $50 a, m. the next block below had
caught fire and was blazing tierr,ey. The
streets the vicinity for blocks away were filled
with frightened, cryiag and woe-stricken ten
ants, fleeing from the ravageS of the flames
The fire attracted thousands OF awe-struck
spectators. The loss to the Belt line people is
probably no less than SitD0o0 It is esti-
mated now that the entire loss will lie over
81 .OOOfAG
The tenement houses were thictlv ppopIed
Every iocr had from four Ia five families.
All We're poor people who viii lose all their
property.
1t is not known how the fire originated So
far as known there has not been any loss of
life This will not lie known until morning.
Ambulances have been sent to the scene to he
ready if needed Owing to the distance of
the fire in the upper part of the city 1t is diff
cult to get particulars
$50 IA ma telephone message just re-
ceive1 from the srane OF the fire S;tvs it is be-
lieved thai there has been heavy loss of life.
A number of policemen and tiremen were
overcome 10y the heat. and sent to Roosevelt
hospital
$40 a. m-Additinnal reports indicate that
the destruction of property is much greater
than reported, but the figures can not now be
given
3:45 a. m.-Seventy-five dwellings mostly
frame tenements inhabited by poor people, a
soap factory, and brewery are among the
buildings burned The loss will aggregate
over 81 .OO0,bO. The fire is believed to be un-
der control
IA m--Reports at this hour do not change
the aggregate Of loss already sent 1t is not
known that there has heen any loss of life,
and this fact viii probably remain undeter-
mined until a search of the burned buildings
can he made